Hotel Café Los Angeles, CA
Contact: james@pressherepublicity.com
Web: rachaelsage.com
Players: Rachael Sage, vocals, guitar, keys; Dave Eggar, cello; Andy Mac, drums
Rachael Sage is one of this country’s best kept secrets. She practically sneaks by the general public with her brilliant, innovative mind and gift for writing alt-pop tunes that scurry down your ear canal and set up camp in the front and center of your brain. Like, say, Tori Amos, you can’t shake the feeling that Sage is the smartest person in the room, that she’s three steps ahead of everybody else, and there are layers to her art.
We interviewed Sage back in 2023, and she told this writer that, “I initially started writing songs to express my feelings about being bullied in school, but also I can remember having a very clear vision after watching shows like American Bandstand and Solid Gold that ‘That’s what I want to do!’ I just felt, instinctively, there was an otherworldly magic in performing―not only singing but also dancing and acting―and have been thoroughly immersed in the creative arts ever since!”
Sage has just dropped her latest full-length album Canopy, and it’s a typically joyful, thought-provoking, emotion-stirring slab of work. She played a lot of them at the Hotel Café, as she celebrated the release. “I believe with every beating of my heart, if the world were run by women there would be an end to war,” she sings in the title track, a sentiment that’s difficult to argue with. It’s a beautiful indie-folk song that sounds great on record; in the live environment it soars to a whole other level. It feels like Sage is singing to every individual in attendance, and that’s a rare gift. She’s the musical equivalent of one of those portrait paintings where, not matter where you are in the room, it feels like the eyes are watching you.
“Just Enough” is Canopy’s opening track, and that dazzled at the Hotel Café too. “Every time that you touch my hand, I feel love,” Sage coos, before detailing the multitude of other ways that she feels love. It’s an absolute love-in, but it feels absolutely natural and genuine.
“Canopy is the first album that I feel reflects every aspect of my artistry, not only as a singer, producer, and musician, but also as a songwriter,” said Sage in a statement. It shows.
